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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26907337">Of airports, weddings and midnight walks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21'>mseg_21</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eddie Is Also Pining, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining Richie Tozier, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019), The Losers Reunite For A Wedding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:48:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,605</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26907337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hey, don’t look so sad, Eds. We’ll probably see each other soon. I bet you that not even a month from now Bev and Ben will be sending out the invitations for their wedding and all of us will be together again.” He winked, making Eddie smile. </p><p>“You’re probably right.” His smile turned into a smirk. “That is if Bill and Mike don’t beat them to it.”</p><p>Richie laughed. “I thought I was the only one who saw what was going on there.”</p><p>“Please,” Eddie rolled his eyes, “There was no reason for Mike to start his roadtrip in fucking LA, he just wanted an excuse to take Bill with him.”</p><p>Richie frowned slightly. “I’m glad I didn’t accept Mike's offer to be their third wheel.”</p><p>Eddie cocked his head to the side. “I thought they didn’t ask you to go with them.”</p><p>Shit. That was what Richie told Eddie when he asked why he hadn't left with them. He didn't want to have to explain to Eddie the real reason why he stayed behind. </p><p>Or,</p><p>After leaving Derry to go their separate ways, Richie pines after Eddie. Luckily for him, it's not too long before the losers reunite again. If only Richie could find the courage to tell Eddie that he never wants to leave his side again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak &amp; Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>It fandom prompts Fall 2020 Gift Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of airports, weddings and midnight walks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/starvedsaint/gifts">starvedsaint</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Leaving Derry for the second time was a lot harder than Richie thought it would be. When he'd first arrived, he was ready to take off the moment he stepped into the restaurant and his memories started coming back. If it hadn’t been for Stan finding him in that synagogue and convincing him to stay, he wasn't so sure that he would have stayed. But as Richie drove them both to the library to meet the others, Richie told himself that as soon as Pennywise was dead, he would book the first flight out of this crappy town. Then Eddie got hurt, and as much as he wanted to leave, there was no way Richie could, not without being absolutely certain that Eddie was going to be okay. So he stayed in Derry for three more weeks, spending most of his time in the hospital, watching as Eddie slowly got better and went from looking terrifyingly pale and fragile under the blinding fluorescent lights to being able to outrun Richie when they did laps around the trauma unit as part of his recovery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was impaled, I lost a part of my lung, Richie! And you’re tired after one lap?” Eddie would tell Richie as he leaned against a crash cart, panting and trying to catch his breath. Eddie would give him a disapproving look, only wincing slightly when he crossed his arms over his bandaged chest.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m an old man, Eds. Old and fragile.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie rolled his eyes. “You’re younger than me, asshole.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically, yes, but I have the body of an eighty year old.” Richie complained as they resumed their next lap. The nurses sitting at their station gave them two thumbs up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie let out a scoff. “Mr. Clifford from the room next to mine is literally eighty years old and he still beat you to the cafeteria the other day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie stuck his tongue out at him. “Then you can ask Mr Clifford to be your lap buddy.” He told Eddie, but he still kept him company during the five laps he was required to do every day. Richie was having a hard time letting Eddie out of his sight unless he really had to. He still had nightmares of what he had seen in the deadlights, and if he went too long without seeing Eddie, the nightmares would torment him even if he was awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It got easier the more time he spent with him, and by the time Eddie was fully recovered, the nightmares were mostly gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so were their friends, until it was just Richie and Eddie left in Derry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stan was the first one to leave, flying back to Patty in Georgia as soon as they were sure Eddie was okay. Ben and Bev were next, the two of them leaving together for New York a few days after Stan. Ben had a company to get back to and Bev was eager to get divorced from Tom as fast as she could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it was Mike. He wanted to wait until Eddie was out of the hospital, feeling like it was his fault that he was there in the first place, but Eddie finally convinced him that it was okay to leave. He had stayed in Derry for too long already. Richie and Bill helped him pack all his things and Mike offered to drive them to LA, where he would start his roadtrip. Bill agreed a little too quickly, but Richie turned down the offer. The thought of leaving Eddie alone for a few more weeks made his heart ache in his chest.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like that it was just them. Richie kept his room at the town house, even though he spent most of his time with Eddie in the hospital. Sometimes he even slept next to him, drooling on the hospital sheets, especially during those first days where Eddie's insides were barely sewn together with stitches and prayers, and Richie was still worried that they would lose him. The beeping of the machines connected to Eddie and his soft breathing were the only reason why Richie managed to get any sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was grateful when Eddie was finally discharged. It meant that he was out of danger, that he would live and that Richie would be able to annoy him for many years. That what Richie saw in the deadlights would never come true. Unfortunately it also meant that Eddie could go back to New York now. And once he did, Richie would have no excuse not to return to his own home on the other side of the country. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Very eager to leave Derry, Eddie didn't waste any time and booked his flight the day after being released. Richie reluctantly booked his own that same day. If Eddie was leaving, Richie didn't want to spend even another day in this shit town by himself.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They drove to the airport together and when it was time to part, they hugged for a little too long. They promised to call and keep in contact, same as with the other losers, but if Richie thought saying goodbye to the others had been hard, saying goodbye to Eddie was nearly impossible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie had to bite his tongue to hold back everything he wanted to say- 'please come with me', 'I will miss you every day', 'I love you'. Instead, he said, “Say hi to the wife for me. And remember, no crazy reunion sex, no matter how much she missed you. It's against the doctor's orders.” He mentally slapped himself. Clearly, he should have bit down on his tongue harder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie frowned. “Yeah, that’s- Definitely not going to be a problem. I’m- Myra and I are separating actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie blinked at him once. Then twice. And finally, “Oh. I didn’t- I mean, you never said-” He fixed his glasses, ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling nervous and fidgety. “I thought it was a little weird that she never showed up and, like, glued herself to your bed-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You kind of claimed that spot for yourself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie visibly cringed. Eddie was right. He had claimed the spot next to his bed and no one had been able to move him from there, except for Eddie himself. And even he had to threaten to ask the doctor to give Richie a rectal exam before he reluctantly agreed to go back to the town house to take a shower and get some sleep in an actual bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wished Eddie didn't choose to remind him of how irrational he had been in that hospital. All because he was worried about him. The last thing he wanted was for Eddie to draw any conclusions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But if he realized what it meant that Richie refused to leave his side and that he behaved like a worried spouse, he didn't mention it. Instead, he bit his lip and said, “And the reason she didn’t show up it's because I didn’t call her. I mean, I did. But only to tell her that I was filing for a divorce.” He locked eyes with Richie before adding, “I didn't want her there with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He seemed just fine with me being there with him, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Richie thought. He chuckled nervously. “Afraid that I would have the same effect on her as I did on the other Mrs. Kaspbrak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie sighed, rolling his eyes. Richie should just rip off his tongue, honestly. “If that effect is making her want to choke you, then yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kinky.” Richie snickered, innerly cursing his filter, or lack thereof. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie’s phone buzzed then, probably a reminder that he was supposed to be boarding a plane. His suspicions were confirmed when Eddie looked down at his watch and gave Richie an apologetic look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t look so sad, Eds.” Richie said, even if he was trying hard not to cry. This was it, Eddie was leaving. “We’ll probably see each other soon. I bet you that not even a month from now Bev and Ben will be sending out the invitations for their wedding and all of us will be together again.” He winked, making Eddie smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re probably right.” His smile turned into a smirk. “That is if Bill and Mike don’t beat them to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie laughed. “I thought I was the only one who saw what was going on there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Eddie rolled his eyes, “There was no reason for Mike to start his roadtrip in fucking LA, he just wanted an excuse to take Bill with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie frowned slightly. “I’m glad I didn’t accept Mike's offer to be their third wheel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie cocked his head to the side. “I thought they didn’t ask you to go with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit. That was what Richie told Eddie when he asked why he hadn't left with them. He didn't want to have to explain to Eddie the real reason why. “They didn’t- I mean. If they had, you know.” He stammered out. Eddie raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t push any further. Richie quickly tried to change the subject. “Man, I can’t believe we’re going to be the last two single losers at that wedding. Actually, I’m probably going to be the only one. You’re a fucking catch Eds, you’ll definitely find a pretty lady to be your date in no time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie looked up at Richie, big brown eyes expressing something that he couldn’t quite read. He opened his mouth, closed it, changed his mind and opened it again, “And leave you to be the seventh wheel? I wouldn't do that to you. Losers gotta stick together, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie gave him an amused smile. “So you’ll be my date?” He wiggled his eyebrows jokingly, but his heart picked up in his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He expected Eddie to turn him down, but he simply shrugged. “Sure, yeah. But I’m not dancing with you at the wedding. I already lost my spleen, I don’t need to lose one of my toes to your two left feet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie choked out a laugh. “Deal.” He said, stomach fluttering slightly. He knew Eddie was just humoring him and joking around, but the idea of the two of them attending the wedding together sounded like something straight out of his dreams. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie's phone beeped again. They both sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’ll see you soon, Rich.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing, Eduardo.” Richie smiled weakly. Eddie smiled back, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. At least Richie wasn’t the only one who was sad to be saying goodbye. “Now go or you’ll miss your plane. And then I’ll have to smuggle you into my plane and take you to LA with me.” As if that wasn’t exactly what Richie wanted to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie giggled. “Maybe next time.” He said, then he went on his tiptoes and kissed Richie's cheek. Without giving Richie an opportunity to react, he pulled away quickly. Richie could see that his cheeks were flushed and that his mouth was curled into a shy smile before he turned around and started walking toward his gate, moving too fast for someone who had needed more than a hundred stitches only three weeks ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie stayed there for a moment, staring at Eddie and then at nothing when he disappeared behind a corner, feeling his cheek burn from having Eddie's lips pressed against it, even if it was only for a fraction of a second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't move until someone bumped against him and he realized that he was standing in the middle of an airport like an idiot when he also had a plane to catch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was already on his seat when he saw that Eddie had sent him a picture while he was boarding and he had missed it. It was a lame attempt of a selfie, where you could barely see half of his face, but it was enough to make Richie feel warm all over. He stared at the picture for five whole minutes, until they were asked to turn off their phones. Richie sighed, he already missed Eddie more than he thought was possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one last lovesick look at the photo, he closed it but instead of turning off his phone, he opened another chat and started typing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Ben, buddy. I need you to propose to Bev, like, as soon as possible. I’ll even buy you the ring, I don’t care how much it costs.’ He hit send, but he turned off the phone before he could get a (probably confused) reply from his friend. He didn’t care, if he had to propose to Bev on behalf of Ben he would do it. He just needed an excuse to see Eddie again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out that Richie didn’t need to intervene. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben proposed to Bev exactly one month after Derry 2.0, some big romantic gesture that he had been planning since the two of them left for New York. It explained why he turned down Richie’s offer to get him the ring, he probably already had it when Richie sent him the text. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bev told them that they wanted a small ceremony, only for the people they were closest to. Richie was ready to bully her into speeding up the wedding planning, but it turned out he didn’t have to do that either. A quiet wedding meant less planning, and only a few days later, she was sending them pictures of the location- an adorable wood-cabin style lodge with a beautiful lake next to it- and setting the date for only three weeks later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was still longer than Richie wanted to go without seeing Eddie, but there was only so much he could push Bev before she threatened to revoke his invitation, so he accepted it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie knew he was being dramatic. It wasn’t like he never talked to Eddie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After leaving Derry, he texted him almost everyday to check on him and make sure he was taking his meds and doing his exercises. He knew it was stupid since it was Eddie he was talking about, but he’d been so scared that they would forget again, and the only way to quiet that fear was to hear his voice or see his name pop up on his phone. Richie didn't think he could handle it if Eddie forgot him again. So he texted, and called. They even Facetimed once or twice. It wasn’t as good as seeing Eddie in person, but it was definitely better than the scenarios Richie kept coming up with at night, where Eddie died and Richie never got to see him again or he forgot about him completely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know if Eddie or the other losers had those same fears, but he was grateful that whether they did or not, they never acted annoyed when Richie called or texted them at the weirdest hours. Not even Patty, bless her soul, who Richie had ended up talking to a couple of times when he called Stan but he was busy with work or taking a nap. Richie couldn’t wait to finally meet her in person at the wedding and give her a huge ‘thank you for putting up with me even if we have never met’ hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you even the least bit excited about the wedding?” Bev asked when Richie mentioned it to her on the phone. “Because all you do is talk about how much you want to see Eddie, and Patty, and Ben’s dog.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, of course I’m excited! A whole ass weekend of wedded bliss with you guys? It’ll be great.” Richie heard Bev scoff into the phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just not as great as seeing Eddie again though.” It wasn’t even a question. And Richie didn’t even try to deny it, instead he pretended he was going through a tunnel and hung up on her, even if Bev was aware that he was talking to her while trying to find something to eat in his kitchen. He just wanted to escape that conversation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie never had to tell her how he felt about Eddie, she just knew. The same way Stan knew when they were kids. Richie liked having two friends he could talk to about it. They would let him complain about missing Eddie and wanting to see him again, but now that he was actually going to spend a whole weekend with him, they stopped listening and started trying to convince Richie to stop being an idiot and tell Eddie how he felt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie had gotten very good at hanging up on them once they started it, but that wouldn’t be so useful now that he would be seeing them in person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he was far more worried about seeing Eddie. As excited as he was, he was also very nervous. He hadn’t forgotten about their last conversation, and how they would be the only two single losers at the wedding, if the fact that Mike and Bill were driving up to the lodge together after they spent the last weeks travelling the country meant anything. They would be surrounded by happy couples, one of which would be getting married after years of pining, a messy divorce and being reunited by a demonic child eating clown. The irony wasn’t lost on Richie, not when Bev and Stan kept reminding him that it could be them, if Richie actually listened to their advice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Richie wanted to, but he kept coming up with excuses not to. He had wanted to tell Eddie when he pulled him out of the deadlights and Richie saw that he was alive, grinning wildly at him because he'd thought he killed It, but he lost his chance when Eddie got hurt. He wanted to tell him while he sat next to him in the hospital, waiting to see if Eddie would wake up, because he needed him to know how much he meant to Richie, but he wasn't sure if he could even hear him. Then again, when Eddie finally opened his eyes, but his friends were also there. He wanted to tell him during the three weeks they spent together at the hospital, but Eddie was busy recovering and as far as Richie knew, he was still married and would be going back to his wife when he was okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to tell him at the airport, when Eddie told him he was getting a divorce. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only reason he didn’t do it then was because he chickened out. And knowing himself, he would probably do it again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was alright though, he could enjoy simply being around Eddie. It was probably for the best. The last thing Eddie needed after getting impaled and being dragged through a horrible divorce was to deal with Richie confessing his feelings to him. Especially if he didn’t feel the same way, which was probably the case, no matter how many times Stan and Bev told him differently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie felt his head starting to hurt. He sighed, why was he looking forward to this wedding again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His phone lit up with a text and, keeping one hand on the wheel, he unlocked it. It was a picture of Bev posing next to the lake and under a beautiful wooden arch that Ben had built for the wedding. The smile on her face was beaming, she looked so happy.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie grinned at his phone. That was a good enough reason to keep going and not drive his car off a cliff just to avoid Eddie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop being pathetic, Tozier. It doesn’t matter that Eddie doesn’t want you. He’s alive, he’s happy and you’re going to see him again. That’s enough.” He told himself as he pulled his rental car into a parking spot. He remembered how he felt back in the hospital. He would have given anything in exchange to see him open his eyes. Years of silently pining after him were definitely a small price to pay to see him alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone banged on Richie’s window and he jumped, hitting the horn in the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Motherfu-” He cursed under his breath, lowering the window to glare at Bill who was leaning against Richie’s car. He could see Mike pulling their bags from his own car. Richie also glared at him. He would have liked to have some company while driving to this remote town. Being alone gave him plenty of time to worry about seeing Eddie again. “Hey, guys. Did you enjoy the drive here? I didn’t, so thank you for ditching me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mike snorted, setting a hand on Bill’s shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, Bill spent the entire drive feeling car sick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie grinned. “It does make me feel better. Thank you, Mikey.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bill flipped him off. “Fuck you.” He muttered, opening Richie’s door for him. As soon as he was out, Bill was wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “It’s good to see you, man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We saw each other like a month ago.” Richie said, but he hugged Bill back just as hard. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>good to see him again. “Okay, enough you smell like a rental car, and I want to hug Mike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he got his hug from Mike, Richie grabbed his bag from the trunk, and together the three of them walked up to The Firefly Inn. They checked in and while they waited for their keys, they explored the lobby. The place was lovely, both inside and outside. Ben and Bev had picked a beautiful location for their wedding, even if it seemed the most remote place they could find. Richie leaned on Mike’s shoulder while he admired the wood work or something, feeling exhausted from the long drive. He was so ready to collapse in a warm bed and sleep for days. He was close to falling asleep on his feet, using Mike as a pillow, when he heard a familiar voice behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, my name is Eddie Kaspbrak and I’m checking in for the Hanscom-Marsh wedding. Yes, I just have one question. I need to know if your rooms all have hypoallergenic sheets? Because I just realized that I forgot to pack my own, and I get itchy and congested without them, and I won’t be able to go through an entire weeking without-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie whirled around and saw Eddie leaning on the counter, ranting to the poor receptionist, a large suitcase on the floor next to him. Seeing him again was like getting hit by a truck. Suddenly, all the exhaustion left his body. Eddie hadn’t changed at all since the last time he saw him in person, but Richie found himself studying him, taking in every small detail that his phone or his computer camera couldn’t get right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was still staring when Bill looked up from the magazine he had picked up and noticed their other friend had arrived. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eds!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie turned around and waved at them, giving the receptionist a chance to slip into the backroom, either to get their keys or escape from Eddie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been here for two minutes and you’re already bullying the staff about sheets, Eds?” Richie joked, walking over to him. “You’re too delicate. If you had seen the places where I’ve slept.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie wrinkled his nose. “No, thank you. I can feel the bed bugs crawling over me just by imagining them.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They never stopped your mom from crawling all over me.” He laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I hate you.” Eddie said, but his voice was so fond it made Richie’s heart flutter in his chest. Then Eddie was pulling him in for a hug and his heart nearly stopped completely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a nervous laugh. “Do you hug everyone you hate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.” Eddie said, hugging him tighter for a second before pulling back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I missed you too, Eds.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie smiled brightly at him. Then Mike and Bill cut in, hugging him in turn. Richie noticed that Eddie's marriage ring was gone, his bare finger a reminder that Eddie was single now. He could date anyone he wanted. The thought made his head swim, he only wanted Eddie to date </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I the last one to get here?” Eddie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea, we just got here.” Mike said, just as the receptionist returned and gave them their keys, eyeing Eddie wearily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stan and Patty are probably here already. Stan is never late and we have,” Bill checked his watch, “less than two hours before we’re due at dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie threw his head back with a groan. “What if I just want to order room service and sleep until the wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on Rich, it’s a losers-only dinner. You can't miss it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie let out a snort. “Not to mention Bev would probably hunt you down and drag you by your hair to the dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie touched his hair and pouted. “I already have a hard time keeping it from falling off, the last thing I need is that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laughed, making their way up the stairs. Bill and Mike were on the second floor, while Richie and Eddie were on the third. They said goodbye to their friends and climbed up one more set of stairs. Richie offered to help Eddie with his suitcase, but he said he was more than capable of doing it himself.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how was the ride here?” Eddie asked when it was just them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too. Fucking. Long. I don’t get why Bev and Ben had to choose some secluded Inn to have their wedding. It’s like they’re asking for a masked murderer to jump out from the woods in the middle of the ceremony and kill us all with an axe or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie giggled, and Richie had to act like the sound didn’t make him feel warm and gooey inside. “Do I have to remind you that you once killed a man with an axe?” He said, raising his eyebrows at him. “If I had to bet on someone going crazy and killing everyone, my money would be on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got me, Eds. I hate weddings and I’m planning to kill everyone tomorrow.” Richie chuckled. “But I’ll spare you, don’t worry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel special.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie shrugged. “It’s what your mom would want, and I’m all for giving her what she wants.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie sighed, finally making it to the third floor. “You know your mom jokes weren’t funny when we were kids, and they definitely aren’t now. Besides, it’s fucking weird that you keep making jokes about my mother when she’s dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t remind me, Eds. I still cry myself to sleep every night over it.” Richie said, wiping fake tears from his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie rolled his eyes, stopping in front of his room and unlocking the door. “You- forget it. I’ll see you at the restaurant. Remember, last two single losers gotta stick together so you better be there. Go take a shower, put something nice on and I’ll meet you there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you, Eds, I’ll even brush my teeth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie’s cute nose wrinkle was the last thing he saw before he went inside and closed the door, leaving Richie standing alone in the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made it to his room and did what Eddie told him to. If Stan and Bev were there they would say he was fucking whipped and Richie would try to pretend that he wasn’t trying to look good for Eddie, which was a lie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was ready when he still had half an hour to spare, so he figured he could head over to the dinner and surprise everyone by being there on time. He wasn’t surprised that there was someone already there when he arrived. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patty!” Richie said, immediately recognizing Stan’s wife, even if he had only seen her in pictures and talked to her on the phone. She was sitting at the small table, looking out the open balcony door. She whirled her head around and gave Richie a bright smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie didn’t wait until she was out of the chair to hug her, leaning down and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She hugged him back as best as she could in that position. “Oh Richie, it’s nice to finally put a face to your voice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled. “I’m sure with this face you’d rather I stayed on the other side of the phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not! Because then I couldn’t say I met a celebrity and I already told Rachel from my book club that I would get her an autograph.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie threw his head back with a laugh. “Anything for my favorite girl.” He said. “But don’t tell Bev I said that. Or Stan. Where </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>Stan the man anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile curled into a fond smile. “Out on the balcony. He thought he saw a Grey Crowned Rosy Finch in the trees.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your husband is fucking lame.” Richie said, but his tone was just as affectionate as hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Says the forty year old man who still dresses like a kid. I can see you still haven’t learned how to make a tie knot.” Stan said, walking in from the balcony. Richie looked down at his shirt and Stan chuckled. “I made you look.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie couldn’t help but laugh. He grabbed Stan and pulled him into a hug. He sighed and squirmed, but hugged Richie back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out that everyone was eager to see the others, because soon enough they were joined by the rest, the happy couple included. Richie tackled Ben with a hug and twirled Bev around when it was her turn. He felt very happy to be with all of them again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dinner flew by, everyone drinking too much and loudly swapping stories, trying to catch up on the last two months since they had seen each other and the last twenty seven years of their lives. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie kept glancing at Eddie. He seemed to be having fun too and he couldn’t get enough of his smile. Richie also caught him looking at him a couple of times. Eddie was quick to look away every time, to pretend he had been watching Mike or Bill the whole time, and it felt just like old times. Eddie, smaller but just the same, who seemed to be always looking away and pretending he didn’t care, but there would be that same tell-tale flush, high on his cheeks, to give him away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also watched his other friends. Ben and Bev couldn’t take their hands off of each other, kissing and hugging the entire time. Stan and Patty weren’t as bad, but he kept his arm around her shoulders and looked at her with literal hearts in his eyes whenever she talked. Then there were Mike and Bill. They didn’t kiss or hold hands, but it was clear enough that something had changed there. They sat next to each other and Mike’s hands kept drifting to Bill’s shoulders and back and thigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie couldn’t help but hear Stan’s voice in his head, telling him that it could be Eddie and him, sitting together, sharing chaste kisses, feeding each other. He wanted that, he wanted everything with Eddie. But he didn’t want to lose him and he couldn’t help but worry that that was what would happen if he actually said anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at Eddie again. It was just the thing to calm his mind and make the world around him solid again. Eddie, his hair neatly combed and his eyes bright as he launched into an argument with Ben about the cleanliness of the Inn. When he looked away, Patty was staring at him, and she was smiling. It was a knowing smile that made Richie wish he had another glass of champagne nearby.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You gonna tell him?” Patty asked, and Richie almost choked on air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you know?” He asked. No point in denying it. He had spent so many nights on the phone with Stan, talking about Eddie, he wasn’t exactly surprised that Patty had found out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I know. Everyone knows. It’s obvious.” She was grinning at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, so Stan didn’t tell you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t have to, Richie.” Patty said. “I’ve heard you talking about him. I’ve seen you looking at him the entire night. There’s only one person you have to tell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Things are good. Not perfect, but good. He’s alive, he’s happy. That’s enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked away from him, over at Eddie. “But it could be better. I really think you should tell him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He narrowed his eyes at her. “Did Stan put you up to this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, Stan never said anything about him. This is just me wanting you to be happy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because Stan loves you. And I might not understand everything you all went through,” Patty said, her eyes darting from one loser to the other, “but I know it was a lot and it was bad, and I think you all deserve to be happy after that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie felt a lump in his throat, feeling moved by Patty’s words. “You’re an amazing woman, Patty. Stan is very lucky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patty winked at him. “Make sure you tell him that.” She said, looking at Eddie again. “And make sure you tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eddie</span>
  </em>
  <span> that you love him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie looked at Eddie again. He was very determinedly looking in the opposite direction, and his cheeks were red. Richie snorted, he absolutely knew him and Patty were watching. “I'll think about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patty kissed his cheek, looked him square in the eyes. "Don't think too hard. The best things are easy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie grinned. "Hey, I don't want to know the sordid details of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Stan!" Patty winked and damn, Richie loved her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>* * * </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shortly after that, they all left the restaurant and went back to their rooms. Richie was sad to end the night, but the wedding was tomorrow and they were all tired from the drive there and needed to rest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie intended to do that. He had just changed into his pajamas and was about to fall back on his bed when there was a knock on his door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no idea who would be looking for him so late at night. For a moment, he worried that the axe murderer Eddie and him were talking about decided to pick them up one by one before the wedding even started. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door and saw Eddie instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eds, what are you- Is everything okay?” Richie asked, poking his head out to check the hallway for their other friends, or maybe the axe murderer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay then what- are your bedroom sheets not hypoallergenic enough or-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up. They’re fine, I guess, but I can’t sleep.” Eddie said with a frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie chuckled, leaning against the open door. “Do you need me to tuck you in, Spaghetti?” He teased, causing Eddie to roll his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t fucking need you to-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Eds. I don’t mind. I’ll even sing you a lullaby.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t sing for shit, you dick.” Eddie shot back without any heat. He gave Richie a shy look. “Do you want to go for a walk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie raised his eyebrows. “What, like, right now? I know you think I was lying about the axe murderer, but with our shitty luck, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie rolled his eyes, but Richie could see the smile he tried to hide. “I’ll protect you. What’s a crazy murderer next to a demonic alien clown?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My knight in silk monogrammed pajamas.” Richie swooned, fanning himself exaggeratedly. Eddie raised an eyebrow at him, still waiting for an answer. Richie should probably say no, they should get some rest. He had taken a look at the itinerary for tomorrow and he knew he would need to be well rested for everything Ben and Bev had planned, but he didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to spend more time with Eddie. “Alright, alright. Let me just grab my shoes. Maybe leave a note in case we go missing. I want to make it clear that it’s your fault if we end up missing the wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie snorted, watching Richie put on his shoes before he grabbed his key and closed the door behind him. They made their way down the stairs and out of the Inn. Richie let Eddie guide them, he didn’t know if he had a plan or a destination in mind, but he was happy just to walk with Eddie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, he wasn’t about to do it in silence. “So, did you drag me out of my room because you missed our daily walks from your time in the hospital?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean, did I miss listening to you whine about having chest pains after one walk around the unit?” Eddie smirked, knocking his shoulder against him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie smirked. “That’s not a no.” He noticed a light blush on Eddie’s cheeks and the way he kept his eyes on the gravel path. “Aw, did you actually miss me, Eds?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I mean, yes. But I also missed everyone else. Not just you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you missed </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>the most, didn’t you, Spaghetti?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie was certainly blushing now and Richie felt his stomach flutter. “If I say yes, will you shut up?” Richie pretended to zip up his lips together, causing Eddie to roll his eyes and let out a sigh. “Fine, yeah, I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie grinned. “I knew I was your favorite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie shook his head, noticeably flustered. “Fuck, you’re annoying.” He muttered, picking up his pace to hide his blush from Richie, but he quickly caught up with him and threw an arm around his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” He said, batting his eyelashes at Eddie. “But you love me.” He knew he was pushing it, but the thought that Eddie had missed him slightly more than the others, that Eddie missed him just as much as Richie missed him- it made him feel like the old times, when he would pick on Eddie just to make him blush and keep his attention on him. It was childish and silly, but it was how being around Eddie made him feel, like a thirteen year old kid with a crush. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept his arm around Eddie’s shoulders as they followed the gravel path that rounded the Inn, where they could see the beautiful lake from all the pictures Bev had shared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was set for the ceremony tomorrow. A white natural carpet runner, fancy chairs and the handmade wooden arch at the end of the aisle. Richie could picture Bev making her way to the altar, he could picture Ben waiting for her there. He could already tell it would be a lovely ceremony. And that he was going to cry his eyes out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you believe they're actually getting married tomorrow?” Eddie asked, studying the little details on the arch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s crazy, right? That they’re finally together.” Richie said, leaning on the opposite side of the arch, watching Eddie. “After all that pining, twenty seven years apart and fighting a demon clown. Twice. I guess there’s hope for us, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hope for-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Being happy. Finding love. Getting married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know that’s something you wanted.” Eddie said, cocking his head to the side. “You know, getting married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie shrugged. “It could be, if it was with the right person. What about you? Would you give it another try?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it was with the right person, yeah.” Eddie echoed, giving Richie a shy look. They stayed in silence for a moment, before Eddie abruptly changed the subject. “Did you know that the nurses from Derry Memorial thought you were my husband?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie blinked repeatedly. “They- what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. They thought- well, you were the first person there, and you never left my side, and I guess they saw my ring when I came in and they just assumed-” He shrugged, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his pajamas. They probably made for a weird picture- two men in their pajamas, standing under a wedding arch in the middle of the night. Especially with how Richie was gaping at Eddie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you- what did you tell them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told them the truth. That we were just friends.” Eddie said, and Richie tried not to grimace at the reminder, but Eddie wasn’t paying attention to him. He kept his eyes on his shoes as he fidgeted, slowly moving closer to Richie. “Honestly, I just told them that you weren’t my husband because, well, I didn’t want them to call you that to your face, and that you would think that I told them or something, but,” Eddie paused, lifting his eyes and fixing them on Richie’s, “I kind of liked it, you know, the nurses calling you my husband.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- you did?” Richie asked dumbly, eyes flicking to Eddie’s lips of their own accord. Eddie was already looking at his when he looked back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Eddie said. He cut his eyes back up to Richie. “Are you going to just keep asking dumb questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Depends on if you’re going to keep saying shit that makes me stupid.” Richie said, nervously wringing his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need my help for that.” Eddie murmured, and then he was leaning in, soft lips pressing against Richie’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Richie was sure he was dreaming. That Eddie never came to get him and that he fell asleep thinking about him, so he started dreaming about what he wanted to happen between them this weekend. He pinched his arm, just to make sure that it was really happening. When he didn’t wake up back in his room, he allowed himself to believe it and grabbed Eddie’s waist, pulling him close and finally kissing him back. It made Eddie smile against his lips and cradle Richie’s face in his hands. Richie deepened the kiss, pushing Eddie against the arch and pouring twenty seven years of feelings into it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you made a move before I did.” Richie murmured when they pulled back, just enough so he could smile softly at Eddie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted. “I seriously don’t know what you were waiting for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I don’t know, a sign or something. I was scared, Eds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Eddie asked, disbelieving. “Everyone said I was so obvious, I thought you knew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone said </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was being obvious! Even the nurses back in Derry, apparently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie rolled his eyes. “Richie, I said I would be your date to this wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I genuinely thought that was a joke. I was freaking out inside, trying to keep myself from blurting out that I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit. So much for not blurting it out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie stared at him with wide, surprised eyes for a moment. Then he whispered, “You love me?” He didn’t look angry or uncomfortable. He actually looked hopeful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- shit. Yeah, I do, Eds.” Richie said, feeling light and free for the first time in almost thirty years. “I know it’s crazy, because I didn’t remember you existed until two months ago, but, fuck, I do. I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Rich.” Eddie said, and hearing those words made Richie’s heart want to beat out of his chest. “I’m pretty sure I always did, I just didn’t remember.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie’s face broke into a grin, he’d never felt more happy. He took Eddie’s face in his hands and leaned down to kiss him for a second time. Still having a hard time believing that he could do that now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He never wanted to stop. But it was late and they were tired, and they had a wedding tomorrow-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Richie said, running his thumb over the small scar on Eddie’s cheek. “How mad do you think Ben and Bev will be when they find out we beat them to it, and kissed under his handmade wedding gift first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie snorted, playing with the hem of Richie’s sleeping shirt. “He’s been pushing me to confess to you so much that he might offer to make us our own arch if we tell him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw Eds, you’ve been talking to our friends about me? Way to make a girl feel special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie shrugged. “It was mostly just me complaining about you being an oblivious idiot, but sure if it makes you feel special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re both oblivious idiots.” Richie argued. “But hey, at least we got our shit together just in time to actually go to this wedding together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.” Eddie said, pushing onto his tiptoes to give Richie another kiss. Then he batted his eyelashes and gave Richie his best puppy dog eyes. “And after that, I think you said something at the airport, about taking me to LA with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie didn’t think his smile could get bigger if he tried. “Is that why you packed a fucking suitcase instead of a normal bag like the rest of us? Because you wanted to leave with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie shook his head. “God, I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie smiled dopily. “Is that a yes? Can I come with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only if you promise not to leave, like, ever.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie nodded. “Deal.” He said with a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie grabbed his hand and started to lead them back to the Inn, down the same aisle Bev would be walking tomorrow. Maybe it would be them soon, having a quiet wedding at a remote place surrounded by their friends. It was probably too soon to think about anything like that, but he couldn’t help it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t wait any longer to start planning the rest of his life with Eddie. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Leave a comment or come talk to me on tumblr! <a href="http://jem-carstairs-is-perfection.tumblr.com/">jem-castairs-is-perfection</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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